Former Shin Bet security service head Yoram Cohen said today in an interview with Army Radio that he supports the restrained policy of the Netanyahu government vis-à-vis Gaza terrorist organizations.

"If I were in office today, I'd recommend telling the public clearly: Israel has no interest in conquering the Gaza Strip," Cohen said.

"The occupation will take us a few days, but the act of purification will take a long time and will also take the lives of innocent people. We have nothing in Gaza," he said.

ראש השב"כ יורם כהן

צילום: מרים אלסטר, פלאש 90

"Israel's policy is to not go to war where unrequired; Israel doesn't want war and that's good," claimed the Shin Bet head.

"We could have killed 200 Hamas members yesterday and they would have fired 1,000 rockets at us and we would have reacted and then we would have entered a war we don't want," Cohen explained.

Cohen said it was too early to say whether Israel's reaction had deterred Hamas. "If we see more targeted terrorist attacks in the near term, such as incendiary kites and the like, with the approval or tacit approval of Hamas, we'll understand that the IDF's attack didn't deter the other side enough."